This is Chris dot comhttp://thisischris.com
by Christopher Grant HarrisFri, 16 Mar 2018 14:00:12 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4102278399http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/thisischrisdotcomhttps://feedburner.google.comListen to the Best of Seattle from the Comfort of Texas TONIGHT!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thisischrisdotcom/~3/sx1Mne9eA9Q/
http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/listen-to-the-best-of-seattle-from-the-comfort-of-texas-tonight/#respondFri, 16 Mar 2018 14:00:12 +0000http://thisischris.com/?p=10767

The Opposite of Miami by Northeast?

Hey, folks, if’n you just so happen to be in Austin, TX for the South by Southwest festival this year, you should head over to The Local Pub & Patio TONIGHT (Friday 3/16) to enjoy some of the best music that Seattle bands have to offer in the “Seattle X Southwest” showcase. Just look at this lineup!

That’s Not Bad.

Especially exciting is the inclusion of close personal friends Electric NoNo, going onstage at 5:45 PM! Here’s a quick reminder of how awexome they are (though if you read this website you prolly already know):

You want to listen to it? No, no, no, that shouldn’t be a question. You WANT to listen to it:

There’s also a very nice interview over at Artist Home, so you should read that. It includes the very exciting tidbit that a full Warren Dunes EP album is coming this October!

]]>http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/for-your-wednesday-listening-pleasure-new-warren-dunes/feed/010761http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/for-your-wednesday-listening-pleasure-new-warren-dunes/For Your Wednesday Listening Pleasure: Break Free (Lead the Way)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thisischrisdotcom/~3/ZSIUQP9Akj8/
http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/for-your-wednesday-listening-pleasure-break-free-lead-the-way/#respondWed, 07 Mar 2018 17:00:45 +0000http://thisischris.com/?p=10756Did y’all know that Nintendo (specifically Naoto Kubo and Nobuyoshi Suzuki) wrote two complete songs with vocals for Super Mario Odyssey? The first one you might have heard, the jazzy “Jump Up, Super Star.” But there’s also this less-well-known song that appears during the climactic final stage of the game (and ending cutscene). This is the English version, with English lyrics by Rob Tunstall and Rob Heiret and vocals by pianist/singer/actress Kate Higgins:

It just so happens that this is in one of my all-time favorite musical genres, the female-vocaled power-pop/rock that emerged from the mid 90s with bands like Letters to Cleo, Veruca Salt, The Breeders, and Dressy Bessy. My four-year-old daughter absolutely loves this song, too.

P.S. If you’re fans of Naruto, you might recognize Kate Higgins as the voice of Sakura in the official English dub!

]]>http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/for-your-wednesday-listening-pleasure-break-free-lead-the-way/feed/010756http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/for-your-wednesday-listening-pleasure-break-free-lead-the-way/“Of the Month” March 2018http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thisischrisdotcom/~3/KZxEshOGqEs/
http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/of-the-month-march-2018/#respondTue, 06 Mar 2018 20:00:41 +0000http://thisischris.com/?p=10749Tweeter of the Month:
Mondo Mascots @mondomascots
You know how in America you’ll see big-head mascots walking around in theme parks like Disneyland, right? Well, you know how in Japan they have big-head mascots for almost everything, like individual towns, festivals, businesses, museums, buildings, etc., right? Mondo Mascots catalogs and displays the many hundreds and hundreds of mascots you’ll find walking around Japan, participating in festivals and running marathons, meeting children, and more! It’s all simply delightful.

Misabo, the grumpy mascot of Japan’s Misato Town, is half wild-boar and half whale, and has a mountain for a hat. pic.twitter.com/zVW5azQ268

Movie of the Month:
Thor Ragnarok
Though Wonder Woman was my favorite movie of 2017, Thor Ragnarok was definitely the most fun I had in a theater watching a movie. This movie has so much exciting energy and intensely stunning visuals, and the excruciatingly gut-busting comedy that no other Marvel movie has even come close to (not even the other openly comedic movies like Ant-Man or GOTG). It’s truly a marvel of a Marvel movie (sorry).

Comic Book of the Month:
The Unstoppable Wasp
Starring Nadia Pym, the secret daughter of Avengers founder Hank Pym (who is currently merged with Ultron and 100% evil because comic books). Nadia was raised in the “Red Room” program that produced Black Widow, but in the mad science division of it instead of the superspy program. Instead of being turned into a programmed killer, Nadia developed a forceful, unstoppable (hence the title) scientific curiosity and somehow managed to come out of it all with incredible optimism. In a comic book world of often dour antiheroes, it’s fantastic to see a character who is the complete opposite (but not in a cheesy way). There’s an earnest sincerity to Nadia’s go-get-em attitude that is seriously infectious. This series is as fun and endearing as its protagonist. You can do it!

]]>http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/of-the-month-march-2018/feed/010749http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/of-the-month-march-2018/Hey, I Know a Some People at ECCC This Yearhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thisischrisdotcom/~3/IinZLx04XxE/
http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/03/hey-i-know-a-some-people-at-eccc-this-year/#respondFri, 02 Mar 2018 22:00:28 +0000http://thisischris.com/?p=10743Some of my friends are exhibiting (or photographing) at Emerald City Comic Con this year! Don’t take my word, for it, though; take the words of their Instagram accounts:

Hey, gang, the supergroup Warren Dunes (Julia Massey plus Electric NoNo) is performing in Seattle tomorrow (Saturday)! Let’s all make the trek out to Columbia City and see them at the Royal Room, a venue to which I’ve never been before!

]]>http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/02/warren-dunes-in-columbia-city-tomorrow-saturday/feed/010726http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/02/warren-dunes-in-columbia-city-tomorrow-saturday/“Of the Month” February 2018http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thisischrisdotcom/~3/IJJfwhZZGXc/
http://thisischris.com/archives/2018/02/of-the-month-february-2018/#respondThu, 01 Feb 2018 16:00:52 +0000http://thisischris.com/?p=10719Show of the Month:
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Good lord, I was unprepared for how frikkin’ hilarious this show would be. The general premise is that Jean-Claude Van Damme is not only an actor, but is also a secret agent codenamed “Johnson” (hence the series’ name). The fact that the show frequently flies off the rails into surrealism and supernatural absurdity while still maintaining its veneer of “realistic and gritty” just adds to the hilarity. JCVD has comedic timing that is absolutely flawless. Who knew? Case in point: in the first episode he plays a secondary role as a minor, bumbling henchman (Filip) who resembles JCVD. Later in the series Filip returns, and is conscripted by the villains to impersonate JCVD. JCVD captures Filip and impersonates him in order to infiltrate the villain lair. So to watch JCVD act as “Johnson” doing an impression of a character that he plays is just an absolute delight. The frequent and blatant shout-outs to various JCVD movies are wonderful and bizarre. And then the climax of the final episode hinges on something from the first episode that I assumed was an hilarious throw-away joke. The whole series is brilliant. Part of me wishes it went on forever, and part of me is glad that there won’t be another season, because these six episodes form a wonderful whole that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Video Game of the Month:
Celeste
On the surface Celeste is one of those twitchy platformers in the vein of Super Meat Boy, where you die over and over again until you’re able to utilize the physics of the game to make just the exact right moves at the exact right timing to clear a room and progress. But in its heart Celeste is a very different beast. Rather than reveling in its cruelty and delighting in how frenetic and difficult its levels are, this game does two very important things. For one, it is very encouraging. On-screen messages when you startup praise you for dying so many times, because failure is the best way to learn. Also, its music is (usually) gentle and melodic, almost like music out of Breath of the Wild instead of screeching, heart-pounding music meant to drive up the tension. And two, Celeste slowly builds a wonderful story with compelling and funny characters. This results in an experience that seems more contemplative, almost meditative at times. While you die a couple dozen times in the span of a minute. I am encouraged to continue not only for the satisfaction of solving a physical puzzle, but also so that I am rewarded by getting to experience more of the gorgeous graphics and music and learn more of the story of Madeleine and her journey up a mountain and into her own psyche. This game is getting rave reviews, and I agree.

Album of the Month:
They Might Be Giants: I Like Fun
The 20th Studio album from TMBG! The first half of the album plays it kinda safe, with songs that are mostly in the TMBG-style of power-pop goodness. This is fine, because even at their worst, TMBG songs are better than about 90% of music out there. And these are far from TMBG’s worst songs. But once the 7th track hits (the title track, “I Like Fun”), TMBG busts out of their own weird comfort zone and back into their bizarre, experimental, and out-there offerings that are, again, better than about 90% of music out there. Here’s their latest video, for “The Greatest,” a minimalist almost-dirge sung in Flansburgh’s almost-falsetto. Also, it stars Nick Offerman!!!!

The album ends on a song (“Last Wave”) that has horrifying, depressing lyrics:

We die alone
We die afraid
We live in terror
We’re naked and alone
And the grave is the loneliest place

We die alone
We die afraid
We live in terror
We’re naked and alone
And the grave is the loneliest place

We die alone
We die afraid
Afraid to die
We’re naked and alone
Naked and alone

We die alone
We die afraid
We live in terror
We’re naked and alone
Naked and alone

…until you learn more about it and realize that it started as a bad lip-sync reading of Aerosmyth/Run DMC’s “Walk this Way” music video:

Now it seems more hilarious than ever, a massive in-joke for TMBG’s fans. I Like Fun isn’t their best album, but it is still great to have.